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Artist creates 365 paintings in a year while grieving brother's fentanyl-related overdose

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Painting through pain and grief. That's what Preston Zeller said he did every day for a year after losing his brother to a fentanyl-related overdose in 2019. "He was a combat veteran in the military, in the army," Zeller said. "We really were pieces of each other, especially growing up." CDC: Overdose death rate involving fentanyl tripled in recent years Zeller said for 365 days he created a new piece of abstract art while processing his brother's death. "All the grief and the anger and the sadness and the, you know, joy at times, I could see that for myself in the paintings, and in the colors and in the vibe of the painting," Zeller said. He said it gave him greater clarity about how he was feeling between different days. He even made his brother a part of the final painting. "I knew in the very last painting I wanted to use his ashes," Zeller said. He recorded his journey and created a documentary called The Art of Grieving.It shows the moment Zeller put all his ...

Texas baseball advances to Regional Championship with victory over Miami

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas sophomore pitcher Lebarron Johnson Jr. brought his best stuff to lead Texas to a 4-1 win over Miami to advance to the Regional Championship. Johnson has been outstanding all season, but he pitched his first complete game against the Hurricanes while also striking out eight batters on a career-high 129 pitches. He faced trouble early on, as Miami loaded the bases in the first two innings, but the sophomore was able to get out of both jams. It was smooth sailing for him after that, as he retired 11 straight batters from the fourth inning through the seventh. Head Coach David Pierce decided to let Johnson finish the job in the 9th even after a Hurricane reached base. He held strong, forcing a double play thus giving him his first career complete game. "Throughout the fall, throughout this whole year you know I've been grinding, really trying to work to help the team in any way that I could," Johnson said after the game. "And just to be able to work my way int...

Minnesota Aurora stays unbeaten with narrow win over Rochester

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

Minnesota Aurora didn’t blow out their fourth opponent of the season on Sunday.The amateur women’s soccer team had run up a 19-0 margin in its first three wins, but with five new starters, they topped Rochester FC 1-0 in a USL W League match at RCTC Stadium in Rochester, Minn.Aurora had beat Rochester 5-0 in the season opener in Eagan on May 24, but heavily rotated its side in the rematch.“We learned a lot (Sunday) from trying different players in new positions,” head coach Nicole Lukic. “It was a good reminder for us that we are going to get our opponent’s best game the second time we play them. (Sunday’s) game allowed us to work on our game management with a more competitive scoreline.”Center back Tianna Harris headed in an Addy Weichers free kick for the winning goal in the 40th minute. Harris, of Whitby, Ontario, has played every minute for Aurora this season and scored her second goal.Aurora (4-0-0) and improved their goal differential to plus-20 and will play Chicago Dutch Lio...

Minnesota, Twin Cities see a slice of the independent bookstore surge sweeping the nation since pandemic

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

Across Minnesota and the nation, new and more diverse independent bookstores have been popping up. In fact, for every independent bookstore that has closed since 2020, more than three new ones have opened, according to the American Booksellers Association.It’s part of a continuing trend jump started by the pandemic, and each of these bookstores has a story of its own.When Josh Hames saw the storefront up for lease in West St. Paul, he knew it was perfect for a bookstore. It was late at night, and the lights on the side of the building illuminated the old brick structure. He could see the tall ceilings through the windows.Books on display at Other Skies Weird Fiction on May 11 in West St. Paul. (Kerem Yücel / MPR News)“It looked like the cover to ‘Needful Things’ by Stephen King a little bit,” he said.Hames, 30, opened Other Skies Weird Fiction in 2022, just in time for his favorite holiday: Halloween. The store sells high-quality editions of horror, sci-fi and imaginative fiction. H...

Authorities identify girl struck by motorist while on bike in Coon Rapids

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

Authorities have identified a young girl who was struck by a motorist while riding her bicycle in Coon Rapids on Sunday afternoon.The crash occurred shortly after noon, and the girl is in serious condition at a local hospital, according to a news release issued by the Anoka County Sheriff’s office.The sheriff’s office, which had asked for the public’s help identifying the girl on Sunday evening, posted on Twitter at 7:42 p.m. that she had been found and her family had been notified.***The juvenile has been identified and family has been located. Thank you for your assistance***— Anoka County Sheriff's Office (@AnokaCoSheriff) June 5, 2023The crash is under investigation.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | MN Legislature awards $195M for 90 mph train from Duluth to Target Field

North St. Louis church sustains storm damage

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Community members are cleaning up debris from storm damage to the Williams Temple Church of God near MLK and Union. The pastor of the church says, thankfully, no one was injured when strong winds ripped through an exterior wall."Some of the air conditioning (units) are sparking and things of that sort. So, they're cutting off power on the inside,” Bishop Lawrence Wooten said. “It hit, and we had no warning or tornado warning and things like that. It hit, but we're survivors, thank God."Wooten says there is more damage to the roof and siding on the rear side of the building, located in the Kingsway West neighborhood. Debris and pieces of the church were strewn across the intersection.

Kyle Busch holds off Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Cup Series win outside St. Louis

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

MADISON, Ill. (AP) — Kyle Busch held off Denny Hamlin through a series of late restarts to win the chaotic, caution-filled NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis on Sunday.Bubba Wallace brought out the 11th and final yellow when his brake rotor let go with five laps remaining. There also were two red flags to go with a two-hour weather delay that caused the mid-afternoon race to finish in the twilight.With the floodlights coming on around the speedway, Busch got a big push from Denny Hamlin on the final restart — the fifth over the last 40-some laps — and pulled away for his third win of the season for Richard Childress Racing.“Our short-track stuff has been a struggle this year. We knew we really wanted to come out here and set a focus on running at a shorter track,” said Busch, whose other wins this year came at Talladega and Auto Club Speedway in California.“I felt like this was a good precursor to what we have coming for the rest of the...

WATCH: Nikola Jokic makes pretty touch pass to Aaron Gordon in Game 2 against Heat

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

Jokic touch pass to AG Denver leads at halftime as they look to secure a 2-0 lead in the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV! pic.twitter.com/Wta6wdv4iI— NBA (@NBA) June 5, 2023Tell me if you’ve heard this before: Nikola Jokic with a pretty pass past the defense to Aaron Gordon’s waiting hands for an easy bucket.Well, it happened again right before halftime Sunday in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Ball Arena. Jokic receives a pass from Jamal Murray and before he even puts the ball on the court, he finds Gordon wide open behind the defense for a reverse layup.The score gave Denver a 57-49 lead in the second quarter.

Fire crews stop forward progress of wildfire in Antelope Valley

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

Firefighters with the Los Angeles County Fire Department have stopped forward progress on the DannyFire after the fast-moving brushfire burned close to 1,600 acres in the Antelope Valley on Sunday, authorities said. Crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the blaze, located at West Avenue D and 130th Street in Fairmont, northwest of Lancaster, at around 1:42 p.m, according to fire officials. Wind gusts of up to 20 miles per hour were blowing the fire north towards Kern County, making it difficult for crews to combat the flames. The gusty southwest winds are expected to remain through this evening, though a developing "moistening trend" is forecast through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service's spot forecast for the DannyFire. It is unknown what started the fire, but an area barn did catch on fire. However, no one was injured. Officials with the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department estimated that around 20 homes were evacuated as a precaution, KTLA'...

Heartbeat of Mexico festival held in Orange

Published Wed, 26 Feb 2025 11:14:24 GMT

A celebration of Mexican culture, tradition and family took over the streets of Orange on Sunday, as part of Chapman University's Heartbeat of Mexico Festival. The Musco Center for the Arts has been hosting the festival since 2016 in cooperation with the Chapman University LatinX Staff and Faculty Forum. The event hosted more than 15 community acts with dancers and musicians.  “It really represents who they are in different regions of Mexico, bringing all that together in one place to let us really appreciate how lucky we are to live in Southern California with that rich history,” Jen Marchese Ernst, the director of Programming for the Musco Center for the Arts, told KTLA.  As pride celebrations were happening in other parts of SoCal, the Heartbeat of Mexico festival organizers said they wanted to bring a pride element to the festivities with emcee Kay Sedia, a self-described "drag queen Tupperware diva."  “The music and the culture go hand in hand,” Sedia said. “I gr...